10 New Folder Games for Syllable Rules!
Ooohhh! You are going to love the new games I just uploaded to TPT! I just added 10 games for syllable rules! The games cover all 6 syllable types plus compound words. They are compatible with any Orton-Gillingham morphology program. I typically use the Wilson Reading System and Megawords – or my own program that […]
Teach Your Students to Organize Their Thinking!
Organizational Thinking Skills Make Stronger Learners! When someone says they are good at organizing, they typically mean systems for storing stuff. Or they might be good at time management. Or they might easily schedule and balance multiple activities. However, when I talk about organizational thinking skills for learning, I am talking about a brain process […]
New Set of 10 Printable Games for CVC Words!
I am so excited to announce a new product just uploaded to Teachers Pay Teachers. This is my first set of 10 board games for short vowel CVC words! Each game has a direction page and a 1-page game board. They are designed in black and white, so you can print them out in grayscale. […]
Working Memory is Important for Learning
Working Memory is not only important, it is essential to learning! Working memory is temporary short-term memory where the brain holds information in order to accomplish a task. You can think about it as short-term memory in action. Some examples of when we use working memory are: Cooking from a recipe Remembering a phone number […]
Practical Ways to Improve Attention
Practical Ways to Improve Attention We know that inattention involves impulsive actions, not finishing tasks, switching tasks frequently, having a hard time with transitions, lack of motivation on boring tasks, and difficulty with organization. We also know that kids who struggle with attention also tend to respond well to positive reinforcement and having choices. We […]
Fun Ways to Teach Phonics
Fun Ways to Teach Phonics Teaching phonics can be extremely dry by following most multisensory phonics programs. A comprehensive phonics lesson should include the following: phonemic awareness building, work with sound-symbol correspondence (letter sounds), work with segmenting and blending (words), and reading smoothly in phrases and sentences. People are often surprised that kids tend to […]
Why Graphic Organizers Help to Build Organizational Skills
Organizational Skills and Graphic Organizers I like using graphic organizers with my students. When I use any copied worksheet type of activity, it is usually a graphic organizer. A whole lot of learning theory is being the intentional use of the graphic organizers. First, graphic organizers help to strengthen the executive function of organization. Second, […]
Are Worksheets Real Learning?
Are Worksheets Real Learning? Awhile back, I designed a modified geography unit for one of my students with dyslexia in a public high school social studies class. The intensity of my unit was similar to the gen ed teacher’s lessons, but rather than blurry maps on worksheets and spelling the countries (which my student really […]
What is ADHD and ADD?
This blog post contains criteria for ADHD and ADD without hyperactivity from the DSM-5 manual as posted on the CDC website. If you want to know more about ways to help any or all of these symptoms, sign up for my weekly e-newsletter or join the Unique Learners private Facebook group. You will find more specific […]
Practical Multisensory Activities to Try NOW!
Here are practical multisensory activities you can try NOW! One of my favorite ways to do spelling or math facts is to write ONE word or fact on a whiteboard or index card. I go through loads of index cards! Write the word or fact really big with purple or blue marker. Have the child […]